A Peek at the Personal Lives of Denver Politicians.

This happens to be the specialty of nonprofit New Era Colorado, an organization founded and run entirely by young people focused on engaging their own demographic in politics.

According to New Era Executive Director Steve Fenberg, there are plenty of reasons for voters under the age of 35 to care about this spring’s race. “The next mayor of Denver will be dealing with issues that have a day-to-day impact on the lives of young people in the city — whether it’s making sure there are jobs for students graduating from college, funding for public education, or enforcing renters’ rights with their landlords,” he says.

But because this election is mail-in ballot only, young voters might need an extra reminder to participate. Most of us don’t own homes. We tend to change addresses frequently, and some of us have been known to forget about the snail mail. It’s not that we don’t want to care. We just need something to grab our fickle attention and help us feel invested.

The moral of the story? The candidates in this race are actual people, who will have an actual effect on the city’s future and the experience of its residents, and who might actually listen to what young voters have to say.

If you like this video, you might also like New Era’s “Candidate Survivor” debate, which will feature an in-person Q&A session with the race’s top six candidates. The event, free and open to the public, is on April 6th at 7pm at Casselman’s Bar & Venue in Denver.

Questions will be targeted towards the issues impacting younger voters, and candor will be encouraged through an American Idol-style voting system, with audience members texting in their feedback on each candidate’s response.

At the end of the evening, one candidate will be declared “winner” and all candidates will hopefully leave with a deeper understanding and respect for the voice and needs of Denver’s younger residents.

According to Fenberg, “The goal of the video and the debate is to make this election engaging for people that might otherwise not be paying attention.”

About Merete Mueller

Merete is a writer and filmmaker, and was once-upon-a-time the Managing Editor of elephant journal's print incarnation, from 2006-2008. Today, you can find her on Twitter @meretemueller and on her blog To The Bones. Her first documentary, "TINY: A Story About Living Small", about people who have downsized their lives into homes the size of a parking space, premiered at SXSW in March 2013.